Improvement in grain-drills



L. WIG HT 8L 0, G, EWING, 2ISheets--Sheet1l lmprcrvemenfinV Grain Drills. l

Patented De.26. 1871.

2Sheets--Sheet 2.

L.W|GHT&O.G.EW|NG. 4

Improvement in Grain Drills. No.122,299. Patented Dec.25,187.1.

Tzly.

UNITED i STATES PATENT OFFICE.

. LYMAN WIGHT AND ORISON G. EWINGS, OF WHITEWATER, WISCONSIN.

IMPROVEMENT IN GRAIN-DRILLS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 122,299, dated December 26, 1871. i'

' To all whom 'it may concern:

Be it known that we, LYMAN WIGHT and 0R1- soN G. EWINGs, both of Whitewater, in the county of Walworth and State of Wisconsin, have invented a new and useful Broadcast Seeder, Grain- Drill, Corn-Planter, and Corn-Cultivator combined; and we do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawing forming part of this specification, in Which- Figure 1, Sheet l, is a top-plan View, part of the hopper being broke away to show the feeding device. Fig. 2, Sheet l, is an end elevation,

one of the tractionwheels being removed. Fig.

2, is a bottom-plan vie-W of the corn-feeding plate and its operating pinion detached from the hopper.

Similar letters of reference in the accompanying drawing indicate the same parts.

Our invention has for its object to combine in one machine a bmdfntmneedernandcnltivator, a grain-drill, aphrn-planter, and a corn-cumivator, for tnefpnrpse drsavgf'ueniseattending y Toth'isend theinvention consists in the combination itself, and in the parts that necessarily relate thereto. While We do not intend in this application to cover distinct improvements in all of the machines, our purpose is to claim such i1nprovements as interchangeably effect the operation of the individual machine. Our invention, therefore, further consists in the method of reg-v ulating the quantity of seed sown to the acre either broadcast or in drills. It further consists in the construction of the seed-scatterers and conveyers, which are so attached to the hopper as to yield when brought in contact With obstruc tions, and which are also adapted for removal. from the hopper when the machine is to be used as a corn-cultivator. The conveyers, however, are used bothifor broadcast seeding and drilling. 1t consists further in the method of throwing the feeding devices in and out of gear with the driving-wheels. It further consists in the means employed for communicating motion from the driving-Wheels to the corn-dropper, and for throwing the same in and out of operation, which latter movements are effected by the same devices which are employed for raising the drag-teeth from the t ground in the broadcast seeders and for throwing relation of these various parts to each other is such that the grain-hopper delivers the seed for both broadcast sowing and drilling; the cornhopper is supported by the grain-hopper, While both hoppers deliver the different kinds of grain into the same tubes.

In the accompanying drawing, A is the hopper of the broadcast seederand drill, having axles cast upon or affixed to its ends for the reception of the Wheels B C of the machine. The ends of the hopper are cast with grooves or flanges upon their proximate faces for the reception of the vertical front board, and the inclined bottom and rear boards, the various parts being clamped to gether by the longitudinal bolt l), the partitions E, andthe transverse bolts F. G is the tongue of the machine, secured to the front of the hopper by the angle-iron H and strengthened by the brace-rods I. J is a beam passing under the t tongue, and supported by brackets. K om the i front ofthe hopper, on a line with or alittle below its bottom. L are brace-rods, which further connect the beam to the tongue and aiford additional lateral support for the latter. A The beam J carries at its rear sidea rod, M, from which the drag-bars N and drill-tubes are supported, and to which the lifting-bar P in rear of the hopper is attached by rods or bars Q. The device for feeding the grain from the hopper consists in an inverted serrated cup, R, attached to a vertical crank-shaft in such a manner as to enter the discharge openings in the bottom of the hopper, fitting such opening with easy contact. The feeder is hung loosely in a bracket, S, which bracket is slotted to fit over a stud projecting from the front board of the hopper. Upon the end of the stud, between the bracket and feeder, is pivot'ed a toothed cam, T, which engages with a spur, u, affixed to the bracket upon the under surface of its' upper arm. The quantity of seed fed to the acre, both in broadcast seeding and in drilling, is determinedv by the position of the serrated cup R with respect to the feed openings in the hopper, and this position is regulated by the toothed cam in the following manner: When the feed is -to be changed to increase the quantity per acre, for example, the bracket is raised, sliding freely upon Athe stud of the cam. This, of course, lifts the cup R and increases the size of the discharge openings formed by the ser-rations in saidcup. The cam T is then turned to the left and engages with the spur U, whereby the bracket is held in position and the cam prevented from slipping. To decrease the quantity of seed fed from the hopper the. cam is turned to the right, permitting y the bracket to descend, as will be readily understood( The face of the cam is provided with graduations corresponding to the number of notches and extending from left to right, so that it may be easily and accurately set to feed the requisite quantity of grain. per acre. Y

The feeders are operated in the following manner. W is a pinion mounted upon a vertical shaft, which has its bearings in a bracket, X, pivoted to the end of the hopper. This pinion engages with a toothed rim, Y, atlxed to the inner face of the left-hand driving-wheel, and is provided upon its upper surface with a crankwheel, Z, connected to the crank-shaft of one of the feeders by a rod, A1, passing through the end ofthe seed-box. Inasmuch as the left-hand feeder is too near the end of the seed-box to allow the proper movement of the rod A1, the latter is connected to the crank-shaft of the second feeder, as shown in Fig. l, the several crankshafts being connected by rods B. By this arrangement of mechanism an oscillating movement is imparted simultaneously to all the feedcups when the driving-wheel of the machine is rotated. Y

U1 G1 are brackets, projecting from kthe rear board of the hopper to aiford bearings for the rock-shaft D1 and for the grooved pulleys 'E1, which are hung in their outer faces so as to rotate in a direction parallel to the hopper. F1 is a lever pivoted to the center of the rock-shaft, and. connected to chains G1 upon each side ofthe pivot, which chains, passing through the ends ofthe brackets and over the pulleys E1, are attached to the lifting-bar P. H1 is a spring-arm, secured to the pivoted bracket X upon' the end of the seed-box, and together with such bracket forms a spring-lever the rear end of which is connected to the lever F1 by the rod l1.

This combination of devices secures the following results: Vhen the lever F1 is thrown to the right, as shown in Fig. l, the lifting-bar F is lowered to permit the operation of the dragteeth J1. This movement of the lever carries the -endof the spring-arm H1 to the right and engages the pinion W with the toothed rim Y The object in employing the spring-arm H1 in con-A nection with the pivoted bracket is threefold: First, theV connection of the pinion W with the crank-shafts of the feeders is such that any extended movement of the pivote-d bracket Xwould materially retard the oscillation of the feeders.

Secondly, the space between theend of the hopper and the toothed rim Y is so small that the bracket is permittedv but a limited movement, no

. more, in fact, than-isV necessary .to allow the teeth ofthe pinion to clear those ofthe rim Y. Thirdly, the elasticity of the spring holds the pinion and toothed rim in contact with a yielding pressure, and thereby prevents any unusual strain upon the teeth of either.

If, on the contrary, the spring-arm should be replaced by a rigid bar extending to the rear the distance requisite to form the connection with the lever F1, the movements of the latter would be restricted to such an extent as to preclude the possibility of lifting the drag-teeth, and would so increase the throw ofthe bracket X to and from the toothed rim as to bind the pinion when engaged therewith, and displace the feeders when disengaged. The elasticity of the arm H1, therefore, permits the requisite throw of the pinion, and after this has reached its limit allows the further movement of the lever F1 to raise the lifting-bar. l

By moving the lever F1 to the left it'raises the lifting and drag bars and throws the pinion out of gear with the. toothed rim to stop the operation of the feeders. The lever is held to the right and left, respectively, by hooks K1 affixed to the brackets C1, as shown in Fig. 1. The rockshaft D1 permits the lever to be turned up or down so that it sh all be within reach of the operator when walking orwhen riding upon the hopper. L1 are the scattering-tubes, having open backs, and extending from the under sideof the hopper between the two beams of each dragtooth. Each tube is provided within its enlarged lower end with three diamond-shaped pins, m', arranged as shown, for the purpose of scattering the seed as it falls upon them. The .tubes are formed with enlarged upper endsrwhich arev pivoted at the rear side to ears a', projecting from the bottom of the hopper upon opposite sides of the feed openings. 01 is a spring-yoke, havingits ends bent outward in opposite directions to form the pivots for the scatterers, which pivots are held in place by the tension of the spring. By compressing the two arms of the yoke the pivots are withdrawn from the ea-rs and the scatterers readily detached. By this attachmentv the scatterers swing backward to pass over an obstrinI tion, their own gravity causing them to drop inte the proper position for receiving the seed after the obstacle is passed.

B1 are the drill tubes, which, when the machine is employed fer drilling grain, are attached tothe drag-bar rod M, occupying the places of the drag-bars N, which are in this case removed. The bifurcated arms Q1, by which the drill-tubes are attached to the rod M, are pivoted to the under side of said tubes a short distance from the upper ends thereof. The inclination of the drill-tubes is adjusted by means of pins r in'the arms Q1 and the perforated segments S1, which project downward through said arms from the upper ends of the tubes. The conveyers from the hopper to the drill-tubes are the same in form as the scatterers, with the exception of the lower ends, which are reduced in size to enter the ends of the drill-tubes, and are, of course, not provided with scatteringpius. Thelower endsoi the drill-tubes are formed with colters T1, the rear ends of which are divided to open the ground for the reception ofthe seed.A Over each colter, at the rear of the tubes, is-arranged a scraper, Ul, by which the seed is covered; and this scraper is made adjustable by means of a set-screw, V1, to regulate the depth at which the seed is sown. The drill-tubes are each attached to the under side of the lifting-bar P, and by it are raised and lowered, as necessity requires, the feeders being thrown in and out of operation to correspond with the position of the tubes.

f Thus it will be seen that the same mechanism `rows of corn in drills, employing for this purpose two of the drill-tubes P1, as we will now proceed to describe.

W1 is the corn-hopper, made in the form of a cylindrical box, having a close-tting cover, and is supported upon the front of the hopper A by means of legs X1 Y1, the former entering a socket, Z1,'aiiixcd to the front of said hopper' A, and the latter stepped in sockets formed in the beam J,

each side of the tongue. A2 is ahollow cone, having its base formed with or united to an annular plate, B2, whose outer edge projects from the cone in the form of .a iiange, and is provided with a circle of close perforations. This perforated ange (l2 constitutes the seed-plate, and rests upon the bottom of the corn-hopper. The inner edge of the annular ange, projecting within the base of the pone, is formed with co gs, which engage a pinion, D2, mounted upon a shaft, e2, which has its bearings in the bottom of the hopper.

Motion is communicated to the seed plate through the pinion -D2 in the following manner:

` The hub of the driving-wheel C is grooved upon its inn er end or provided with a grooved pulley, from which abelt or chain, F2, extends to a grooved pulley, G2, mounted upon the front end of a lever, H2, which, in its turn, is pivoted to the end of the seed-box A. By means of a belt or chain, I2,the

pulley G2 transmits its motion, received from the thence through the bottom of the hopper at two opposite points, k2, entering bent tubes L2, and by them is conducted to the right and left to enter the drill-tubes in continuous streams. When the corn-planter is to be used the drag-teeth and their bars are removed, together with all of the drilltubes with the exception of two, one at each end y of theI hopper A, as shown in Fig. 4. 'If desired the bent tubes L2 maybe made of iiexible material or of metal, and attached to the corn-hopper by a iexible connection. The bar L3,pivoted to the apex ofthe cone, rests upon the perforated seed-plate for the purpose of feeding thecorn properly through the perforations. The belt lever H2, in front of its pivot, rests upon a spring, M2, attached to the end of the hopper for the purpose of holding up the pulley G2 to preserve the proper tension of the belt F2. N2is a rod hung upon the rear end of the spring-lever, and extending downward` through one end of the lifting-bar P. Thisrod forms a guide for the lifting-bar and a support for the adjustable collar O2, so that when said bar is lifted it shall bear against the collar to lift the outer end of the lever H2 against the tension of its spring, thereby depressipg the pulley G2, slackening the belt F2, and throwing the cornplanter out of operation.

By this arrangement the same frame that supports the drill and broadcast seeder also supports .the corn-planter, the hopper of both seeder and drill supplying a further support, while the drill-` The last feature of our invention consists in the corn-cultivator, which is used in connection with the drag-teeth of the broadcast seeder. P2

'are the cultivator-teeth, whose arms Q2 extend vertically upon each side of the tongue, passing through the ends of a plate, R2, affixed `to the upper surface of the latter. The arms are connected together below the beam by a perforated plate, S2, and to the under side of the tongue by the rods T2, which may consist of separate pieces,

or of one rod bent into the form shown so as to 'l form an eye adapted to articulate upon the hook U2 projecting from the under surface of thetongue. The rods T2 are made vertically adjustable upon the cultivator-arms by perforations in the latter,

which receive pins passed through the ends of the rods. V2 are right-angular foot-levers, pivoted at their angles to the iront of the beam J so that their upper ends shall extend nearly to the ton gue, to be operated by th e feet of the driver.

Their lowerI ends are perforated and connected to the perforated plate S2 by means of rods W2.

B y this arran gement the driver, seated uponthe seed-box, moves both cultivator-teethto theright and left by pressing alternately upon the right the control of the operator. The cultivator is designed to straddle the row of plants to be cultivated, and is used inconnection with the drag-teethof the broadcast-seed er, four of the latter working upon each side of the row of plants and the central ones being either turned up or removed, as most convenient. The cultivator-teeth are provided with sockets X2 to receive the arms P2, which are held therein by set-screws Y2. By this connection the teeth may be turned and adjusted upon their arms to throw the dirt to or from the plants.

The eultivator is held out of operation by the .notched yoke Z2, which straddles the tongue and is pivoted thereto, so that when the cultivator is raised the plate S2 catches upon the notches and is thereby held suspended out of contact with the ground. By moving the upper end of the yoke toward the seed-boX the plate S2 is released and the cultivato'r falls to the ground by its own gravity. The draft is applied to the combined machines by a clevis, Z3, ailxed to the under side of the tongue, as shown clearly in Fig. 2.

Having thus described our invention, What We claim as new therein,- and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is'- 1. The combination, with one common frame, of the broadcast-seeder and cultivator, a grain-drill, a cornplanter, and a corn-cultivator, substantially as herein shown and described, for the purpose specified.

2. In combination with the crank-pinion W the pivoted bracket X and the spring-arm H1, we claim the lever F1 and connecting-rod I1, substantially as described, for. the purpose speciiied.

- c 3. The open-backed tube L1, constructed with Y drill, and adapted for operation fromrone of the driving-wheels of the seeder and drill, substan,

tially as described, for the purpose specified.

6. The corn-planter adapted for use in connection with two of the tubes of the drill by means, of the bent tubes L2 for the purpose of planting one .or two rows of corn in drills, substantially as herein shown and described.

7. The corn-cultivator, mountedupon the frame of the seeder, drill, and corn-planter, and adapted for operation in connection with the drag-teeth, substantially as described, for the purpose specied. Y Y

8. The v broadcastseeder, the grain-drill, the corn-planter, and the drag-teeth, all adapted tov be .thrown in and out of operation by the movements of one common lever and lifting-bar and their intermediate connections, substantially as herein shown and described.

9. The seed-plate of the corn-hopper, operated from one of the driving-wheels of the drill and seeder by means of the pinion P2 and grooved pulley J 2 upon the shaft e2, the belts F2 I2, grooved pulleys G2, and a grooved pulley upon the hub of the wheelfsubstantially as herein shown and described.

LYMAN WIGHT. V'ORISON Gr. EWINGS.

Witnessesf H. O. MONTAGUE, GEO. L. BRocKwnY. (133) 

